Vehicle door latch



p 24, 1946. H. w. RIGHTMYER 2,407,99

' VEHICLE DOOR LATCH Filed, April 30, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORATTORNEY 2 Sheets-Sheet v 2 H. w. RIGHTMYER VEHICLE DOOR LATCH FiledApril 50, 1942 Sept. 24, 1946;

Ha en INVENTOR AITORNEY Patented Sept. 24, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE VEHICLE DOOR LATCH Holden W. Rightmyer, Toledo, Ohio, assignor toThe American Swiss Company, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of OhioApplication April 30, 1942, Serial No. 441,108

3 Claims.

the .door is in closed position, thereby obviating the action usuallynecessary in latches of this character in which in the slamming of the.door, the latch bolt is moved in a retracting direction during itsmovement over the keeper.

A further object is to produce a latch of the above character with whichis associated the dovetail structure, the releasing element for thesliding latch bolt being associated with one of the dovetail members andoperatively engaging the other dovetail member for releasing the latchbolt.

A still further object is to produce a new and improved door handlemechanism. in which the handle occupies a minimum amount of space, isfree from dangerous outwardly projecting parts and operates in a simplemanner to retract the latch bolt by movement of the handle outwardlyaway from the door.

For purposes of illustration but vnot of limitation, embodiments of theinvention are shown in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is aside elevation of the door latch mechanism and showing also the insideoperated remote control structure it being noted that the cover platefor the outside operated dogging mechanism is removed, legs thereforebeing shown in section;

Figure 2 is a front edge elevation partly in section of the latchmechanism shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view of a portion of the latchmechanism showing the same in relation to the dovetail keeper, someparts being removed for the sake of clarity;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the latch bolt catch lever;

Figure 5 is an elevational view of the female dovetail keeper structure;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary elevation somewhat diagrammatic of analternate form of latch mechanism in which the dovetail structure isomitted;

Figure 7 is a front edge view of the latch shown in Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the catch lever employed in the latchshown in Figures 6 and '7;

Figure 9 is a sectional view showing the outside operated door handleand associated door structure;

Figure 10 is an enlarged sectional View of the door handle assembly;

Figure 11 is an elevation of the door handle assembly as viewed from theoutside of the door; an

Figure 12 is an enlarged sectional view of the door handle assemblytaken approximately through the central portion.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a vehicle doorlatch having a case plate l0, one edge portion of which is bentupwardly.

to provide a flange or selvage plate ll. Slidable over the case plate itis a bolt plate [2 to which is riveted a bolt nose l3, .the lattersliding through an opening in the selvage plate H to and from latchingposition. A spiral spring M has one end anchored to the case plate It)and its opposite end engages the rear face of the bolt nose l3 fornormally urging the latter to latching position. At the rear end of thebolt plate 12 is a downturned flange hi which is adapted to engage arubber bumper 85 carried by the case plate thereby to cushion thelatching movement of the bolt plate.

From the outside of the door, the latch bolt is retracted by a roll backlfi which in this instance is of a two-part or scissors camconstruction, a spring 17 urging these parts relative to each other inorder to snugly grip th operating spindle which fits into the squarehole I8. The scissors cam construction is Well-known to those skilled inthis art and since it forms no part of the present invention, detaildescription and illustration is not considered necessary. The latch boltis retracted from the inside of the door by a remote control unitdesignated generally at lathe same having an actuating arm Ell to whichis pivoted a link .24. The forward end of the link: 2i is pivoted. to aslide 22 which has an elongate slot 23 through which extends a rivet 24.At the forward end of the slide 22 is an extension 25 which when theslide is moved forwardly relative to the bolt plate l2, the same may bedisposed in blocking relation to the outside operated roll back cam l5thereby blocking the bolt retracting movement of the roll back.

Projecting from the upper edge of the slide 22 is a flange 26 which isadapted to abut against an ear ,2! struck outwardly from the bolt platel2. Thus when the slide 22 is moved forwardly to dog the roll back. I6,the flange 26 abuts against the ear 2'! so that upon retractingmovedirection or the other. By upward sliding of the dogging slide 29,the outside operated roll baclr- I 6 is blocked against movement. l

Pivoted to the inner side of the selvage plate II and disposed in aplane at substantially right angles to the plane of movement of the boltplate I2 is a catch lever 3!. The catch lever 3i is pivotally mountedupon a rivet 32 and has an extension 33 which is adapted to abut againstthe case plate IQ for limiting swinging movement in one direction. A leg34 depends from the lever 3| and has an inwardly bent arm 55 disposed atapproximately right angles to the body of the lever 3!. A spiral spring36 has one end anchored to the case plate It) and the opposite endengages in a notch portion 3'! of the'cat ch lever 3i and urges thecatch lever 3 [in a counterclockwise direction (Figure 1), therebyurging the arm toward the case plate It) and in this manner it will bemanifest that when the bolt plate I2 is retracted a sufficient distanceto move the bolt nose l3 away from its keeper, the free end of the arm35 snaps into place and serves as a stop to block latching movement ofthe bolt plate. In

this manner the bolt plate I2 is retained in its retracted position withthe bolt nose is out of latching relation to its keeper.

Also integral with the catch lever 3! is a releasing arm 33 whichextends at substantially right angles to the body of the lever 35 in adirection opposite to that of the arm 35. The arm 38 projects through anaperture 39 in the selvage plate II and is disposed inside of the maledovetail member 43 which is rigid with and projects outwardly from theouter side of the selvage plate I I. The dovetail member 40 is open onthe inside and has tapered side walls and as indicated on Figure 2, thereleasing arm 38 is positioned adja cent one end of the dovetail member4% so that when the door on which the above described latching mechanismis mounted, is moved to closed position, the releasing arm 38 of thecatch lever, 3i abuts against the shoulder 4! of the female dovetailmember 42. Opposite sides of the member 42 are correspondingly taperedto receive the male dovetail pair 40, a spring actuated shoe 43 in thedovetail part 42 being spring urged to bind the parts together. Asshown, the member 43 slides on a pin 44 and is under yielding pressurefrom a spring 45 which encircles the pin 44. Forming part of thedovetail s2 is a keeper 46 having bolt engaging ledges 41 and 48, theledge 41 providing the usual safety stop.

From the above description, it will be apparent that the latch bolt I3is released by the catch lever 31 substantially when the male dovetailmember 40 bottoms upon the female member all. At substantially that timethe bolt nose i3 being released by the arm 35, snaps abruptly tolatching position as indicated by the broken lines on Figure 5.

The form shown on Figures 6 to Sis similar to that above describedexcept that the dovetail parts are omitted. In this form the catch lever31a. has an integral releasing arm 38awhich engages in abutment on thedoor jam for rocking the arm to release the bolt nose I311 as abovedescribed. As above described, the catch lever 3ia also has an arm 35awhich is adapted to hold the bolt plate lZa in its retracted position.The catch lever 3la is slightly different in form from the catch lever3| above described but in general the structure and operation are thesame. It will be observed that the selvage plate has an arcuately shapedslot 39a to afford the release arm 38a the desired movement.

In'Figure 9, 5i! designates the outside metal panel of an automobiledoor which is formed with a recess 5!. The outside door handle 52 iscurved with the free end abutting against an embossed knob 53 adjacentthe recess 5|. In

this manner the handle is brought close to the side wall of the doorthereby removing any dangerousprojections and the recess 5! enables thehandle 52 to be conveniently grasped. The handle 52 is provided with anenlarged end portion 54 which is mounted on a pivot pin 55. As shown inFigure 12, the handle 54 fits within a casing 56 and a sleevedescutcheon 5i is adapted to be fastened to the door structure. Theportion 58 of the handle which projects beyond the pivot pin is somewhatreduced and engages with a cam arm 59 which fits in an extension 69 ofthe casing 56. The cam. arm 59 has a hub 6! which is provided with asquared opening to receive the spindle G2. The spindle 62 may engage atits oppositeend in the outside operated roll back, as for example, byengaging the in the squared opening E8 of the roll back ld (Figure l).

Formed in the extension iii? is a stop 63 against which a. portionof'the end 58 of the handleis adapted to abut, thereby to limit therocking movement of the handle 52 in one direction. The handle 52 isnormally retained in the position shown in Figure 9 by a spring 56 whichchoir-- cles the pivot pin 55 and is disposed within an aperturedportion of the enlarged portion 54 r 1. In a device of the classdescribed, an automobile door latch having a case plate, a selvage plateat one edge' of said case plate, a spring tensioned latch bolt slidableover said case plate and projectable through said selvage plate when inlatching position, a spring tensioncd catch lever pivotally mounted onthe inner side of said selvage plate and adapted to block movement ofsaid latch bolt when in retracted position, and hold sameffrorn movementto latching position, a releasing arm on said catch lever projectingthrough said selvage plate, a male dovetail memher. on the outer side ofsaid selvage plate into the inside of which said releasing arm extends,a female dovetail member with which said male dovetail membercooperates, an abutment on said female dovetail member ehgageable bysaid releasing arm for rocking said catch lever thereby to release saidlatch bolt-, keeper means for said latch bolt associated with saidfemale dovetail member and engageable by said latch bolt when the sameis released by said catch lever.

2. In a device of the class described, an automobile door latch having acase plate provided with a selvage plate at one edge thereof, a springtensioned latch bolt slidable over said case plate and projectablethrough said selvage plate when in latching position, a catch leverpivoted to the inner side of said selvage plate and disposed at one sideof said latch bolt, said catch lever being pivoted on an axissubstantially parallel to the plane of movement of said latch bolt, anarm on said catch lever, a stop on said latch bolt engageable by saidarm when said latch bolt is in retracted position thereby to hold saidlatch bolt retracted, a releasing arm on said catch lever projecting atright angles therefrom through said selvage plate, a male dovetailmember on the outer side of said selvage plate in the region of saidsecond arm, said male dovetail member being hollow and said second armextending therethrough, a female dovetail member for receiving said maledovetail member, a, stop on said female dovetail member for receivingsaid male dovetail member, a stop on said female dovetail memberengageable by said second arm when said male dovetail member has enteredsaid female dovetail member a substantial distance thereby to rock saidcatch lever to release said latch bolt, and a keeper associated withsaid female dovetail member and engageable by said latch bolt uponrelease thereof.

3. In a device of the class described, an automobile door latch having acase plate, a selvage plate at one edge of said case plate, a springtensioncd latch bolt slidable over said case plate and projectablethrough said selvage plate when in latching position, a spring tensionedcatch member movably mounted on the inner side of said selvage plate andadapted to block movement of said latch bolt when the latter is moved toits retracted position and retain same from movement to latchingposition, a releasing element on said catch member projecting throughsaid selvage plate, and a male dovetail member on the outer side of saidselvage plate into the inside of which said releasing element extends,whereby upon slamming the door said releasing element is adapted tocooperate with the female dovetail part which receives the male dovetailpart for actuating the catch member sufficiently to release the latchbolt to allow the latter to move to keeper-engaging position.

HOLDEN W. RIGHTMYER.

